Eunice Parsons Thinking Archivally

Eunice Parsons is considering giving her “papers” (and here I mean correspondence, etc., NOT all the paper that is the raw material for collage…!)  to the Pacific Northwest Artists Archive at Willamette University.  The University library and the University Archivist are committed to building this collection, housing the papers of artists who have worked in the Northwest.  The archive is the brain child of art historian Roger Hull, and compliments his scholarship, as well as laying a solid base for future scholarship in the art of Oregon and the region.  It has been exciting and fun for me to trail along to many of the archival discussions, like I did Saturday.   We met archivist Mary McRobinson at Eunice’s house, and the three of them began the discussion of what the papers might include as they looked at the material.

Eunice had things spread out on her table including letters…(retrieved from friends)

drawing books…

and while they talked I wandered and noted work Eunice has from friends…

Jackie Johnson…

Laverne Krause…

Tom Cramer…

Bonnie Laing-Malcomson…

and then we ventured up to Eunice’s studio (check an earlier studio visit here…).

which features many walls full of photos of artists and friends from across the decades (Eunice has worked here for 50 years)…

her filing system is good…OPS means “Other People’s Stuff”

the discussion wound to an interesting close…

and we took off in various directions…into a rainy Saturday.

R & I met up with our family members at T-Mobile for new phones and a new phone plan (excruciating…but fun)

and then headed back to Salem…things got pretty scary on the highway as the storm roared in…

I was pretty happy to get off the freeway…and on the way up to Portland earlier we had seen this sign, so I just kept my ukulele in mind….